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UPDATE (11/2022) – Our home was featured in a great new home decor book! Our friends at Aphro Chic published their second book featuring the black family home and our cottage was apart of their collection. Pick up a copy today on Amazon or your local bookstore!
As we start renovations on our new home, I am actively planning the layout and decor of each room. I always like to have an idea of the style prior to shopping around for furniture and accessories. My process for decorating starts with discovering examples of other spaces with a similar location and architecture. I find it easiest to organize interior photos in Pinterest and then I create smaller mood boards with Canva as I narrow down the look I want.
After I collect several images and create my first inspiration mood board, I narrow down the words that best characterize the style. For our home, I really want to capture the fairytale magic and create a happy retreat for our family. My three words that I’m working towards executing in the design are whimsical, organic and comfortable. I think it will be fairly simple to tie in whimsical with certain prints and accents like lighting fixtures. Organic is my goal for the materials and textiles in the home. Wood, cotton, wool, linen and ceramic will be used in the bedrooms, kitchen, baths, etc. I want the space to have color but be inspired by organic/natural things like flower petals and leaves.
Currently, I am in the midst of the next step in my process where I am gathering swatches of paint, wallpaper, fabrics and later tile. Even though all the renovations won’t happen at once, it is helpful to see how all the different materials will come together.
Paint swatches
- Clare (Whipped, On Point, Wing It, Dirty Martini and Current Mood shown in mood board)
- Sherwin Williams
Fabric Upholstery swatches
- Joybird
- Interior Define (Rose sofa in Bloom shown above)
- Anthropologie
- Sixpenny
Wallpaper swatches
- Hygge & West
- Rifle Paper Co
- Jimmy Cricket from Design Life Kids
- Annet Weelink
I’ve posted pictures of the swatches on Instagram stories, but will evaluate the options on the blog as well. I have to admit, swatches are the best part of the design process for me. Getting to touch the textures and see the color palettes in person is so much easier than looking at a computer screen. Most design companies offer swatches for free to ensure you’re happy withe quality before making a large purchase. Swatches are all great to keep around for future projects or helping friends and family with projects. You can click the links above to order your own swatches. I’m also planning to order a few rug samples too. I love the Blush Gia Rug from the Jungalow shown in the mood board.
That’s my process so far! Lots of pins, narrowing down fabrics and color schemes, and browsing furniture. I’m excited to keep sharing our process with all of you. Stay tuned for more updates and you can always follow on Instagram to see the home design process unfold.
